Firangi Nala in Shamshabad turns sewage drain
HYDERABAD: A 150-year-old irrigation channel that once supplied water to farmers in Rangareddy district has been reduced to a sewage drain due to encroachments and official neglect.
Historic irrigation channel shrinks under encroachments
The Firangi Nala, built to carry floodwaters and irrigation flows, has steadily narrowed as private developers encroached on its course. With no water flowing in the nala, its width has reduced sharply at several points, affecting downstream areas.
Untreated sewage diverted into nala
Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation officials diverted untreated sewage into the nala, citing lack of agricultural use. As a result, sewage from Maduranagar, Adarshanagar, RBNagar, Siddanthi, Brindavan and Mission Compound colonies now flows directly into the channel.
Flooding and stench hit nearby localities
With the nala constricted, sewage has no clear outlet and frequently overflows into low-lying areas, inundating vacant plots and residential pockets around Shamshabad. Residents complain of persistent stench and unhygienic conditions.
The Firangi Nala is a tributary of the Musi river. In 1872, the then rulers constructed an anicut near Chandanavelli village on the outskirts of Shamshabad to regulate flood flows of the Esi river and divert water into the nala.
The system was designed to collect water from 45 chain-linked tanks and ponds across Shabad, Shamshabad and Saroornagar mandals and discharge it into the Ibrahimpatnam Pedda Cheruvu. A 65 km long channel was laid from Chandanavelli to Ibrahimpatnam, with bridges, culverts and sluices constructed at 81 locations to prevent flooding when water levels rose.
After the Shamshabad airport came up, demand for residential plots surged, leading to mushrooming of illegal layouts along the nala. Hundreds of buildings were constructed, and more than 3 km of the channel passing through habitations was encroached upon. Residents in several colonies now live alongside daily sewage and waste flowing through what was once a key irrigation lifeline.
